1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to spring-loaded friction clutches and, in particular, to an improved self-adjusting device and method for automatically compensating for wear in the friction surfaces of such clutches.
2. Background Art
Automatic adjusting devices are well known in the art and are typically interposed in the lever system of a friction clutch so as to be operable to compensate for the wear of the friction surfaces therein. While a number of such devices operate in a satisfactory manner to compensate for wear, they frequently require numerous parts and, therefore, are relatively expensive to manufacture, assemble, and service. A further disadvantage of such conventional adjusting devices is that they incorporate a certain amount of free play therein, so that they are operable to adjust the spacing of the friction surfaces of the clutch mechanism only when the clutch is stroked through a certain degree. If this degree of stroking is high, the operator of the clutch may well not stroke the clutch sufficiently for operation of the adjuster for fear of reaching the shaft lock-up position of the clutch pedal.